Adani in tussle with TN over scheduling power

While the private firm wanted the Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre (SRLDC) to schedule the power generated by its 648 MW solar plant in Tamil Nadu as its capacity exceeds 500 MW, the State-run utility, however, dismissed the plea and claimed jurisdiction of its State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) to schedule the power.

The purchase of the power generated by the solar plants and other sources, including thermal, would be scheduled by the regional or State load dispatch centre. The renewable power producers should provide forecast of solar/wind generation to the SLDC a day ahead.

Adani Renewables wrote to the SRLDC on March 11 citing a letter from the Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) dated August 29, 2018, that the scheduling jurisdiction of 648 MW Kamuthi project would be under the SRLDC. It pointed to the Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) clause 6.4.2(b) that the generating stations based on renewable energy sources having 500 MW and above come in the scheduling jurisdiction of RLDC. “We request you to expedite transferring the scheduling jurisdiction of 648 MW Kamuthi Solar Power Project from TNSLDC to SRLDC’s jurisdiction for further necessary action.”

TANTRANSCO, however, rejected the Adani’s request, in the letter dated May 16, 2019, stating that the Kamuthi Solar Power Project comprises of five different power purchase agreements with TANGEDCO and all the plants have installed capacity of less than 500 MW.

“Also that the generation connected to Kamuthi 400 kV sub-station is more than 500 MW and it is not a single entity and does not qualify for Ultra Mega Power Plant and consequently, the solar power projects at Kamuthi cannot be considered as a single solar park,” it said, adding that the IEGC clause would be applicable for the Kamuthi project. “SLDC had made provision of scheduling portal for the above five different solar generators,” it added.

The tussle comes soon after the firm getting a major relief when the TN Electricity Regulatory Commission pulling up the SLDC for curtailing solar power generation. In the March 23 order, the regulator, in response to a petition from the National Solar Energy Federation of India, said that SLDC cannot curtail renewable power at their convenience. Curtailment means the SLDC asks power plants not to inject power into the grid despite availability.

TANGEDCO signing Power Purchase Agreement with Adani group to procure 648 MW solar power at a rather high Rs 7.01 per unit had created huge uproar in 2015.